Yankees’ Aaron Boone Reveals Key to Beating Blue Jays in 2026

The Toronto Blue Jays took the New York Yankees down on their way to a World Series bid this year, and Yankees manager Aaron Boone recently spoke on how the team can work to close that gap leading up to next year.

The Yankees and Blue Jays finished the regular season with identical records (94-68), but with the tiebreaker, the Blue Jays bested them for the AL East win and eliminated them in the ALDS. In the midst of the MLB winter meetings, Boone gave the obvious answer for how the Yankees can edge out the Blue Jays this time.

“Well, I mean, playing better against them is the real simple answer,” Boone said, h/t Greg Joyce of the New York Post. "At the end of the day, we ended up knotted with them [in the division]. But in the head to head, they kicked our butt, and especially in those summer months."

Sep 9, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees manager Aaron Boone (17) takes the ball from relief pitcher Mark Leiter Jr. (56) during a pitching change during the seventh inning against the Detroit Tigers at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | Brad Penner-Imagn Images

"In that stretch where we were scuffling a little bit, they beat us up, including a four-game sweep up there, and that obviously ended up really hurting us.”

The Blue Jays offense was brutal in 2025, and took full advantage of the Yankees' struggling pitching staff and defense in their head-to-head matchups. At times outpacing the Yankees in the division by 6+ games, the Blue Jays had a reputation over that time for being the far superior team.

Some Specific Upgrades

Oct 26, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; New York Yankees general manger Brian Cashman before game two of the 2024 MLB World Series at Dodger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Now with the benefit of hindsight, it seems clear that the Yankees would benefit from a focus on more contact to bolster their homer-reliant offense. They have recently discussed the balance issue of their lefty-heavy offense, and they might pursue a right-handed infielder this offseason in addition to their stated outfield and pitching goals.

In his own media appearance last week, Yankees owner Hal Steinbrenner spoke on whether the Yankees need to be more like the 2025 Blue Jays, and noted that while they did put balls in play, they were a hard-hitting team too.

“Balance in life is everything,” Steinbrenner said, per The Athletic's Chris Kirschner. “[...] It’s not just putting balls in play. They definitely slug the ball, hitting strikes hard, particularly in the air, not that you’re trying to hit it over the fence, but in the air. Statistically speaking, the results speak for themselves."

Oct 7, 2025; Bronx, New York, USA; New York Yankees second baseman Jazz Chisholm Jr. (13) rounds third base after hitting a solo home run in the fifth inning against the Toronto Blue Jays during game three of the ALDS round for the 2025 MLB playoffs at Yankee Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

It's worthwhile to note that the Yankees led the MLB in home runs (274) and RBIs (820) this season. The Blue Jays hit the most homers and RBIs in the postseason, beating out the Los Angeles Dodgers but falling to them in the end. Of course.

The distance heated up the rivalry between the Blue Jays and Yankees this season, especially by the end. Blue Jays star Vladimir Guerrero Jr., who had an a superhuman postseason with Toronto, concluded the ALDS trouncing by joining David "Big Papi" Ortiz in a round of "DAAAAA Yankees lose!" The Blue Jays also celebrated the victory with "The Theme From New York, New York" playing in the clubhouse.

Hopefully, the Yankees will turn that indignity into urgency for the season to come.

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